Cerebral Palsy: Parental Stress of Caregivers

Abstract The aim of this research was to investigate indicators of parental stress among caregivers of children with Cerebral Palsy. The study covered a total of 132 participants who responded to the following instruments: Sociodemographic Inventory, Gross Motor Function Classification System, and Parental Stress Index (PSI). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The sample was composed mainly of mothers (97%); most of the children were classified under the most severe levels of motor impairment (61%). Regarding the PSI, almost half of the sample experienced high levels of parental stress (46.2%). The PSI domain with the highest percentage of caregivers with high stress was Parental Distress (60.6%). Most caregivers prioritize the needs of the child with Cerebral Palsy over their own needs more than they expected (90%). These results may support intervention strategies aimed at minimizing parental stress.

摘要
本研究旨在探究脑瘫（Cerebral Palsy）儿童照护者的父母压力相关指标。本研究共纳入132名参与者，所有参与者均完成了以下测评工具的作答：社会人口学问卷（Sociodemographic Inventory）、粗大运动功能分级系统（Gross Motor Function Classification System）以及父母压力量表（Parental Stress Index，PSI）。本研究采用描述性统计方法对数据进行分析。
研究样本主要以母亲照护者为主，占比达97%；多数患儿被评定为运动功能损害最严重的等级，占比为61%。针对父母压力量表的分析结果显示，近半数研究对象的父母压力水平较高，占比为46.2%。其中，父母压力量表中父母苦恼（Parental Distress）维度下存在高压力的照护者占比最高，达60.6%。绝大多数照护者会优先满足脑瘫患儿的需求而非自身需求，这一比例高达90%，且超出了他们的预期。本研究结果可为旨在减轻照护者父母压力的干预策略提供实证支持。